Link to Character Sheet and Fate Chart
This next section on task resolution picks up where Odds rolls and Resisted Questions leave off, giving guidelines for variables, and information on storing regularly occurring game actions. There are a lot of little knobs and dials in this chapter, though it is pretty short (pgs. 37- 42 in the MRPG). We will cover here section by section and then, perhaps in the next post, continue Mr. Quin's mini adventure and see what kind of modifiers are necessary to get through a day in the Fringe.
By now Odds questions are pretty well covered, and the primary focus of this chapter is squeezing the most utility out of Resisted Questions, which are used for the resolving of Tasks.
By now Odds questions are pretty well covered, and the primary focus of this chapter is squeezing the most utility out of Resisted Questions, which are used for the resolving of Tasks.
"Task resolution is the process of figuring out whether a
character is successful in attempting an action. Mythic uses
the same yes/no question format to resolve tasks as it does
any other question, phrased simply as, “Does the character
succeed at such-and-such task?
Task resolution is one of the most frequent uses made of
the Fate Chart. Everything from a character trying to climb
a wall to fighting an enemy is task resolution.
No matter what the task, though, they are all handled in
similar fashion." pg. 37
A task resolution starts with an initiating question, that will call on your own Attributes, Abilities, and Strengths (see Chapter 3a) that will be resisted by some other Ranked Detail on the opposing side. (Remember Details are descriptive tags such as IQ, Sprinting, or Shape Shifting, and Ranks are how good you are actions related to your Details when compared to the average person with the same ability.)
Initiating questions don't have to mention a Detail on either side. They just clearly shouldn't be odds questions.
Odds Question: Is the Guard looking my way? Answer No
Task Question: Can I sneak past the guard and slip into the next hallway?
Here we can see the relation between the Odds and Task questions. The Odds question sets the scene, the Task question puts the scene in motion. Task Questions can proactive, "Can I sneak past the guard?", but they can also be reactive.
Set up: Rounding the corner you note a goon is waiting with an baseball bat mid swing at your face?
Task Question: Can I duck!?!
Once you have determined what the Task is now determine the Details from your character and the opposition that will come onto play. In the first example of sneaking past the guard, if you have Stealth Ability that could be paired against the guards Intuition Attribute or perhaps an Alertness Ability (if he is a professional guard). Now you have the set up for Resisted question. Note your Stealth Ability (lets say Exceptional) and the Guards Alertness Ability (Hight), and check where they bisect on the Fate Chart: 65%. You roll a 30, and quietly slip past the guard before he turns back around.
The parts covered so far.
There are three broad categories of Modifiers outlined in this chapter.
The parts covered so far.
- Set the Scene (much more on this in future chapters)
- Ask the Task Question
- Determine the related Details
- Determine the associated Ranks
- Find the intersection on the Fate Chart and roll for success (which will probably take you right back to number 1. Set the Scene)
Now lets shake things up with...
Modifiers
So what is a Modifier in context of the Mythic RPG?
So what is a Modifier in context of the Mythic RPG?
"...circumstances that impact either
the acting rank or the difficulty rank." pg.37
Breaking that quote down we see that modifiers are not arbitrary, but are brought on by circumstances, and they have to be important enough to "impact" the rank of the Detail; and finally that they can be applied to the Acting Rank (active or the party of the roll, not always, but frequently the PC) or the Difficulty Rank (usually an opposition or obstacle).
There are three broad categories of Modifiers outlined in this chapter.
- Wounds, modifiers for injuries and damage. This could be a casual injury that hasn't healed yet, like a broken nose, or very serious injury that will take a while to heal, like being jut stabbed.. Time and action can heal wounds unless you are very unlucky.
- Momentary Advantages such as attacks from surprise, finding a long pole to help boost you over a moat, or delivering a scathing remark that leaves your debate opponent stammering.
- Environmental: On going conditions that make a task harder or easier. Weather, temperature, and biome come to mind when we think of environments, and those can certainly be impactful, but so could activating your wired reflexes, trying to fight after being tear gassed, trying to remove things from a burning building, or trying to swim against a riptide.
With a broad and open mind these three categories should cover all your modifier needs. That covers the breadth of a modifier: How about the depth? How many Rank Shifts (RS) are a modifier worth? And for that matter what is a Rank Shift?
A Rank Shift raises or lowers a Detail's Rank depending on the severity of advantage or disadvantage of the modifier. And how much should it RS effect a roll? The game suggest for most be conservative and stick with a single rank shift and then only in the case of a significant advantage. Though if circumstances are overwhelming (yet not impossible according the the Logic of the scene) a higher rank shift (positive or negative) could be warranted, up to a +/-4RS for the most extreme circumstances.
A Rank Shift raises or lowers a Detail's Rank depending on the severity of advantage or disadvantage of the modifier. And how much should it RS effect a roll? The game suggest for most be conservative and stick with a single rank shift and then only in the case of a significant advantage. Though if circumstances are overwhelming (yet not impossible according the the Logic of the scene) a higher rank shift (positive or negative) could be warranted, up to a +/-4RS for the most extreme circumstances.
Figuring out Results
After taking any RS into consideration you roll for an outcome. As we discussed in the last chapter there are four potential results, but what each of them means is highly dependent on the context of the scene.
So, Yes answer means a success in the action, and a No answer means a failure. Exceptional Yes may add a rider, such as such as a faster performance, and an Exceptional No may indicate some additional negative consequences to a failure. All of the results need to be filtered through the Logic or context of the scene.
(Editor: there are times when you should pass according to logic or you should fail, but there was enough of a gap to determine a roll was necessary or the outcome of a single roll could drastically impact the fun of the game. In such circumstances, maybe you chose not to roll, but that does subtract some excitement from the game. In stead I suggest failing forward. For an example lets say you are playing a character with a cybernetic arm on which is a hydraulic hammer. It can punch dents into half inch steel plates (according the the advertisement). The character wants to bust some security glass to make a hasty escape from some dire situation. He checks his Exceptional Power punch vs there High-quality security glass and he rolls over the 75% pass rate. It isn't an exceptional failure but he doesn't break the glass. But, that doesn't mean he hasn't effected the glass. It could now be riddled with fractures weakening it to further attacks, should security give him time to make them.)
Continued in Chapter 4b: Resolution Table and Unskilled Tasks
"In short, a yes means the character did indeed succeed at
her task, exactly as stated, and a no means she did not. It’s
okay to keep this simple. If an exceptional result is rolled, but
there is no immediate exceptional result presenting itself,
then keep it a simple yes or no. For instance, a character may
attempt to pick a lock. A yes means he succeeds, a no means
he doesn’t, so what does an exceptional yes mean? I suppose
he could succeed really fast, although we’re only talking a few
seconds here. Rather than spending time trying to figure out
what additional benefit this character gained, it may just
make more sense to downgrade this to a simple yes." pg.37
So, Yes answer means a success in the action, and a No answer means a failure. Exceptional Yes may add a rider, such as such as a faster performance, and an Exceptional No may indicate some additional negative consequences to a failure. All of the results need to be filtered through the Logic or context of the scene.
(Editor: there are times when you should pass according to logic or you should fail, but there was enough of a gap to determine a roll was necessary or the outcome of a single roll could drastically impact the fun of the game. In such circumstances, maybe you chose not to roll, but that does subtract some excitement from the game. In stead I suggest failing forward. For an example lets say you are playing a character with a cybernetic arm on which is a hydraulic hammer. It can punch dents into half inch steel plates (according the the advertisement). The character wants to bust some security glass to make a hasty escape from some dire situation. He checks his Exceptional Power punch vs there High-quality security glass and he rolls over the 75% pass rate. It isn't an exceptional failure but he doesn't break the glass. But, that doesn't mean he hasn't effected the glass. It could now be riddled with fractures weakening it to further attacks, should security give him time to make them.)
Continued in Chapter 4b: Resolution Table and Unskilled Tasks
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